


Warhammer 40,000: Schola Progenium

by Eva_U



Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29084880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eva_U/pseuds/Eva_U





	Warhammer 40,000: Schola Progenium

**Prologue**

****

The bolter barked like a hound hunting prey. Fired bolts streamed from its barrel, adding to the cacophony of battle erupting around the space marine squad. Mortal deck hands fell before them, exploding in dazzling arrays of blood and gore. Lifeless husks, unworthy of the name warrior died before their feet in droves. All had to die, every single life had to be extinguished, for there could be no survivors.

  
Valco chuckled and yelled, "For the emperor!" much to the laughter of those brothers around him. It had been fifty years since his space marine chapter had cast off the shackles of the Imperium and its doctrines. With the evolution, came a freedom he never knew existed. He could be himself, kill without remorse, and push his body and mind further than he ever thought possible.

  
The massive Sergeant moved fast through the narrow corridor, petty las fire scorching his armor as he advanced onto the next intersection where the security squad had taken cover. The corridors of the black ship were small to say the least. 

  
With a bounding leap that nearly saw his head hit the ceiling, Valco pounced into the middle of a pack of five security team members. Gripping the first with an armored gauntlet, Valco broke his neck with a quick flick of the wrist after slamming him against the bulkhead. The sound of bones snapping was drowned out as he simultaneously fired his bolter, killing the next two with well placed torso shots taken out of the corner of his eye. Their bodies exploded, showering his beige ceramite in a curtain of blood as he turned towards the two remaining survivors. They tried to run, fear reeking off of them in an aura that he could smell. Before they could get away, Valco gripped one by the collar from behind. With a single thrust, he flung the petty excuse for a warrior into the wall behind himself. The sound of a crack was heard as the mortal landed head first into the bulkhead with inhuman speed. The last he gunned down, shooting a series of bolts into his back that detonated when they impacted.

Click. 

Valco ducked at the intersection, reloading his bolter and then gesturing his fellow squad members forward. 

  
Lars was first, heavy bolter in hand. With his new found freedom the warrior had taken to attaching skulls to his armor. An interesting choice of aesthetic noted Valco. Bjorn followed, his blood coated chain axe reving while his plasma pistol burned a bright green that reflected off the icy surfaces of the black ship's walls. Korvus was next followed by Yeri, the most reserved brother he knew. Clenched in Yeri's hands was his bolter that had a modification on the barrel that made it look like a dragon spiting fire when discharged.

  
The warriors took positions at the corridor and aimed down them, weary for they knew that the sisters of silence were nearby. Already two of the squad had fallen to their bolter weapons and Valco found himself cursing at the thought of their deaths at the hands of petty mortals. Furthermore a bolter was a sacred weapon to the Astartes, to see others using it was despicable. It reeked of heresy.

  
"Heresy." Valco chuckled at the word as he loaded another magazine into his bolter and chambered the round with a loud click. 

  
As soon as he reloaded his bolter the sound of battle erupted once more. Bolts showered around them, drenching Bjorn. Bjorn ran forwards, into the shower of bolts, screaming something about blood. Valco watched helplessly as Bjorn's arm was blasted off by one of the rounds. The warrior kept charging regardless, until a bolt hit the chink between his helmet and chest plate. The bolt detonated, blowing off Bjorn's head in one quick display of exploding flesh.

  
"Sergeant Valco, more sisters!" called Lars then let loose the roar of his heavy bolter. The weapon screamed as a stream line of heavy bolt rounds roared through the corridor. The sisters ducked, weary of the threat the massive weapon had on them. 

  
Valco turned and fired, using his pauldron as cover. Bright flashes of light reflected off the surface of his ceramite as he gunned down the sister that had been stupid enough to peek out from cover in an effort to fire on Lars. Valco hit with a precise single bolt. Her head was smashed by the round and the bolt penetrated further, hitting the bulkhead behind then detonating.

  
There were five more of the sisters. Each clad in power armor, Valco knew them to be formidable opponents. They would not easily die he concluded after he saw a bolt fired from Lars' heavy bolter bounce off the torso plate of one of the sisters. They were tough. Finally, a more worthy adversary. 

  
"Squad! Suppressing fire!"

  
"Sergeant!" the squad replied in unison as hell unleashed upon the corridor, tearing metal and showering the sisters position with shrapnel. They ducked and Valco recognized his chance.

  
"Forwards! Yeri on me!" He said holstering his bolter while simultaneously drawing his chainsword and pistol. He and Yeri sped forwards, into the corridor that the sisters of silence held. Before the sisters could react he and his brother were upon them. Hacking and slashing their way into their position, Valco's Chainsword bit into the nearest golden armored warrior. Sparks flew as his weapon bit into her neck, between her shoulder and head. Soon blood spewed forth from the wound showering his already bloody armor in more red gore. When he tried to remove the blade it was jammed in the upper part of her torso plate. He let go of the weapon.

  
It was obvious how unprepared they were for their assault. They reacted slow, slower than expected. This hesitation allowed Valco to maneuver the recently slain into a body shield. He fired his bolt pistol as a shower of bolts from the nearest sister collided with her former comrade. Valco fired back, expertly placing a shot to her face.   
Valco saw Yeri out of the corner of his eye. He also had gutted and killed a sister of silence on the initially charge but now he was busy dealing with one that had drawn her gladius. She parried his chainsword swings with seeming ease. The two fought until Yeri over powered her by using his body weight to slam her into the corridor wall. A loud bang was heard as she collided with the bulk head. A mere second later, Yeri brought down his chainsword, splitting the woman's head in half in a gruesome display that would have made Kharnath proud.

  
Valco was about to fire on the last remaining sister when her head exploded. The sergeant reeled towards the direction of fire bolt pistol raised. Before him were the iconicly massive suits of Terminator armor that belonged to 1st company's aptly named Lion's guard.

  
The gargantuan warriors could be heard to be laughing under their helmets. Valco lowered his pistol. A stillness settled around them save for the hum of their power packs and Valco tossed the corpse of the slain warrior he was holding to the ground before stepping on her lifeless body and removing his chainsword. It came out with a crunch.

"It seems we've caught up to Sergeant Valco." one of the Terminators sneered. His voice carried over the vox simultaneously as he spoke resulting in his voice being heard twice.

  
His vox chimed. "What is your position?"

  
The grizzled Sergeant immediately recognized the voice as coming from his Chapter Master.

  
"We're in the port corridor, level 34. Approximately 5 minutes from the targets location." The lead termintor stated matter of factly. Valco recognized him as Malgus, a hard bitter warrior that the Sergeant was always at odds with when it came to the traditions of the Chapter. Malgus wanted things to stay as traditional as possible but Valco wanted change. What was the point of rebellion if they could not experience the freedom of creativity and innovation. It was only Malgus's loyalty to Chapter Master Andron, Valco figured, that made him follow the chapter in betraying the Imperium. If he hadn't, then the more of his former brothers would have died on the night of the scouring.

  
"Gods," came his chapter master's reply. "This had better work."

  
"it will my lord," Valco replied over the vox. "I have seen it."

  
"You have seen it..." sneered the terminator. "You always have "seen it" "

  
"That means a lot coming from a glorified bullet sponge."

  
"Enough bickering!" Came the Lion's voice. "Just get it done!"

  
"Yes my lord." replied Malgus. "We are closing into the target location now."

***

The Sorcerer waited and waited. Since hearing through the ship's alarms that they'd been boarded he'd been growing impatient with how the assault had gone. Waiting shackled in a cell with a null collar bolted to his neck had been hard over the past two years and he was anxious to get out of it and reveal in the gifts his gods had bestowed upon him.  
The sounds of gunfire erupted around the cell and the Sorcerer smiled. Soon heavy footsteps were heard. He recognized them immediately. They were from Astartes. It was his brothers. The Word Bearers, they had not forgotten him! They had dispatched a Host to recover him. He was sure of it. His service to the 17th was finally being recognized after millennia. If he were honest with himself, he was surprised. Taking on an entire Black Ship was something that even he would have trepidations about. To recover him after his failure on Malachor IV was something that made him believe that they needed him. Of course, that had to be the case.

  
He heard a clink on the other side of the door and his smile grew wider. Finally freedom at last and a warm welcome back into his Legion. This was the stuff of dreams. He would've slapped himself if he weren't bound to see if he would wake up for often he had dreams of escape when he would sleep. 

  
When the door slid open, his smile vanished. Before him was an Astartes clad in beige armor and not the crimson of the 17th. The warrior before him looked at him through red eye lenses. If he didn't know better he was staring at a loyalist. Had the inquisition ordered the black ship to be purged? If that were the case he would be killed within a matter of moments. The thought did not fear him, only disappointed him greatly.

  
"Askeul Aretheos?" The warrior asked him in a rough tone that spat out of his vox grille.

  
Aretheos let out a sigh. His brothers had not come for him. 

  
"That is I." He said then looked back to the warrior with his golden eyes.

  
"My name is Sergeant Valco Tracieus of the Sons of Berkana, and you're coming with me."


End file.
